Japan logged a record of 3,037 daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday, surpassing 3,000 for the first time as Tokyo and several other prefectures marked records in a single day amid a resurgence of infections.
The total number of infections in Japan amounted to 46,745. In Tokyo, 621 cases of new infections were reported on Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 602 logged on Thursday, while Saitama, Kyoto, Nagano, Gifu, Iwate and some other prefectures also marked an all-time high of daily infections.
Iwate Prefecture, where no COVID-19 cases were confirmed until late July, reported 43 cases on Saturday, among which 38 came from cluster infections at a hospital, the prefectural government said.
In most parts of Tokyo, restaurants, bars and entertainment establishments that serve alcohol have been asked to shorten their operation hours and close at 10 p.m. local time.
The Japanese capital began to mark sharply increasing numbers of daily cases in mid-November and is the epicenter of infections among the country's 47 prefectures.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said all citizens should raise their guard against COVID-19 but his government will not suspend the domestic travel promotion program or declare another state of emergency. (/Xinhua)
( With inputs from ANI )
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